Midnight Fight Express is the latest game from Humble Games, a game studio built from the Humble Bundle. It’s a fast-paced brawler that feels like one long non-stop action sequence. Players move from area to area, fighting dozens of enemies in a striking style reminiscent of John Wick. It may bring to mind many action movies, but series such as Batman’s Arkham series and Hotline’s Miami have had the greatest impact. It’s a thrill ride that’s as blood-pounding as the bass on the soundtrack.
In Midnight Fight Express (MFH), you become the babyface of an amnesiac thug (a very well-known trope) and are directed back to your lair by a mysterious drone. On this particular night, the city descended into chaos as a criminal syndicate released his minions into the city to do as much destruction as possible. From here on, Babyface and his friend Drone must stop the criminals and put an end to the chaos.
All this makes for some exciting action sequences, but very little really gets me involved. I’m not in the middle of a fight, but I definitely hit the brakes when I want to keep moving. That, along with outdated conspiracy devices such as amnesiac villain mercenaries and the Manchu Candidate Complex. I feel a little too familiar with what I’ve seen in the past.
Other than that, the gameplay view is a top-down, tilt-shift perspective, with clear characters but lacking a lot of detail. That’s fine, because the real standouts are the gameplay and soundtrack. Combat is a single-button punch, but blocking, parrying, and counterattacking are done with separate buttons. Punches feel like magnets and flow seamlessly from enemy to enemy. You can use guns, tasers and all kinds of weapons at your disposal to find them in levels or from enemies. There are also large objects that can be thrown, such as chairs and boxes. Plus, there are magnums that can have special bullets, so there’s a lot of room for variation.
The impressive part is how well it all fits together. From punching to counterattacking to throwing knives to hitting someone with a chair, it rises and falls as easily as the stream of consciousness. Among several missions, you’re just a click away from finding your satisfying groove. Between missions are skill trees that add more mechanics and adjustments to your movements, a welcome bonus to the awesome combat system.
The action is punctuated by a rocking, solid dance-electro soundtrack by Noisescream that thumps heavily on the bass. I haven’t downloaded a soundtrack since Hotline Miami. It will get you pumped and ready to kick some serious butt while highlighting everything that’s happening on screen. This is nothing short of perfect for a mechanic.
Missions are typically short bursts that are perfect for the Nintendo Switch’s pick-and-play form factor. Combat is the main focus, but the game does a good job of varying missions with chase scenes, vehicular battles, interesting boss fights, and even some unique combat encounters that make for truly memorable moments. I don’t want to spoil these, but there are plenty of comedy and dynamic battles that play two sides to each other.As a bonus, completing missions unlocks new challenges to increase your level’s overall score. Since it is unlocked, there is plenty of room for replays.Character customization is also abundant, allowing you to create your own fighter.
Midnight Fight Express is a very elegant package, with a focus on simplicity and depth. For those who want a simple fighting game, the combo mechanics with weapons and environment are very satisfying. For those who need depth and technique, there is a grading system with bonus challenges to complete the run. The soundtrack will blow your ears with a dirty hype-up his beat that rocks the combat even more than itself. The bland story has some very glaring game-stopping issues, but there’s a lot of fun to be had here.Midnight Fight Express is a great game, great sound, great game.
